Another Chance
by Lucicelo
Summary: Years after Ayako Kimura fixed her life, she lead a normal life. University, marriage, and the birth of her son. She didn't know that her son, named after her late cousin, was the reincarnation of Masaki Kimura. Characters from chapter 1 of the manga.


_A/N: In volume one Tsuzuki had a partner named Masaki Kimura who was trying to keep his cousin from killing herself and junk. There was no more info on what happened to Masaki so I thought, why not have him reincarnated as Ayako's first born son. He loved his cousin enough so I would think he would try to get reincarnated when years passed and she got married. I just wanted to get this out of my system and I hope you enjoy it._

_-Lucicelo_

* * *

Another Chance (Oneshot)

Years had passed since Ayako Kimura attempted to take her own life. The guilt of her cousin's passing made her heart heavy, her will to live dissipated as the years passed on. She couldn't even whisper his name, her tears trickled down her face before she realized. Her family hailed him as a hero and mentioned him in the first few years. His memory dissipated into a simple portrait. An area filled with other family members. Where her family placed offerings in certain instances of the year.

After her interaction with him in death, she changed her life. The winds of change swirled around her. Her outlook on life was bright. She studied herself to the brink of exhaustion to enter into a good university. Even her family noticed her radical change. Whenever they asked why she changed, she answered, Masaki told me to change.

She went through university without a problem. All the experiences her older cousins told her about had happened. Some failed classes. A good part of her days, spent buried in books. Half of the time she nursed a cup of coffee while trying to stay awake to keep the text inside of her head. The end of the semester always ended up in a crash after the caffeine wore off.

Masaki never experienced university. He was her drive through particular heavy nights. The one who looked after her in spirit. At times, she thought he was around but it was the trick of the wind. She already saw him before. His voice was hard to miss. The kind smile he showed her when he spent time with her.

After university, she awaited the prospect of dating. She landed a great job and had time to spare. She put it off for years due to keeping her eyes on her books. Her eyes wandered to the handsome faces wandering the campus. Not that she said anything to them. The cute girls always got to them first.

Yet, her parents impeded her plans. A marriage photo presented to her one morning at breakfast. His appearance, dull. Nothing special. He stirred no feelings in her heart. Her father had to convince her to accept it. He assured his gentle personality. No man could provide her with a lifestyle which came from his paycheck.

Provided from working at his father's company but a high wage no less.

They wore her down after a week.

When she met him, he was ecstatic to meet her. Complimenting her, showering her with gifts. He was a perfect gentleman. Never forcing her beyond her limits. A safe choice.

She convinced herself in loving him in the future. Affection happened after spending long periods of time together. She wanted to hold off having a child. It wasn't the right time.

Besides, she talked with her husband to hold off the wedding for a few years. She wanted to enjoy her job. He saw it made her happy so he conceded without a second thought. All he wanted to do was make her happy. Something she thought might not have happened with someone else.

He understood her dark period of time. Her attempted risks and carelessness on her own life. All due to Masaki's passing. He listened through everything. Never interrupting her. He held her when she broke down in tears and comforted her.

Throughout those years, she was glad for this arrangement. No stress from failed relationships. Searching for the right man. He doted on her since the first day he met her. In a slow pace, she fell in love with him.

Then, she found out she was pregnant three months after the wedding. Both families, ecstatic. Her husband burst into tears. Holding her tight in his arms. Of course, they didn't have to carry the extra weight in their middle.

To her surprise, her pregnancy was easy. She didn't empty her stomach in the mornings but she got the oddest cravings. Her husband teased her about it when he came home from the convenience store at three in the morning.

She knew he hoped for a son. In a way, she wanted a boy as well. Either way, she would love her child with all her heart.

Through the pain of her labor, a feeling came through her body. She thought she felt Masaki's presence in the room.

* * *

Ayako stared down at bliss at her son. Her arms curled around in a protective embrace. His light hair, chubby cheeks, and the matter he put his hand inside of his mouth. Happiness filled her body. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. All she wanted to do was talk to him about the man who shared his name. After so many hours in pain, she saw it was worth bringing this child in the world. She already felt an instant bond with this baby.

Her husband didn't object to her naming their first born after her cousin Masaki. He knew of his death and his significant in her life. Masaki saved her life as a child and he already expected her to name their first born after him. She commented on this issue when they figured out a list of names.

Her mother-in-law objected naming a newborn after a dead man but her husband defended her. Ayako knew her mother-in-law would hold this against her for the rest of her life. She didn't care. The pain of bringing her son into this world gave her the right to name him. At least her family understood her reasons and didn't say anything in the open.

They didn't spoil her first hours with her son.

Ayako cooed at Masaki. Giving him kisses, holding him close to her heart. Tears gathered in her eyes. She didn't want to let him out of her sight.

"Aya?" Ayako peeked up and saw her husband coming in with a bag full of food. "I have brought your feast."

Ayako laughed. "Thank you."

He placed the food on the desk right next to the bed. "Has he behaved?"

"He hasn't cried much," Ayako smoothed down Masaki's messy hair. "He whimpered so far for his milk. A calm child."

"We got lucky then," He pushed up his glasses. "My sister's child cried non-stop for weeks."

Ayako nodded her head, she motioned to the baby. "You haven't held him yet."

"Of course I haven't, you wouldn't hand him over once you got him." He said in amusement. "He doesn't have a dirty diaper right?"

"No but even if he did, you will help change him." She wagged her finger. "I went through the pain. You have to put your end of the work."

He smiled at her. "I know. Now, let me hold my little boy."

Ayako handed Masaki to her husband and noticed Masaki's eyes never left her. His small hands curled. A pout formed. Throughout the exchange, Masaki remained quiet. He didn't look thrilled getting separated from her.

His eyes went up to his father. A brief moment. Afterwards, he looked around the room. Taking in the things he managed to see from his position.

"He has the most expressive eyes, Aya."

Ayako chuckled as she watched her husband rock Masaki in his arms. "We might have one of those babies who develop quicker than others. We will have to start saving up for his college fund immediately."

Her husband grinned with pride. "I have already started on it a month ago. He won't have to worry about working when he will be using his time to study.

Ayako smiled as she stared at Masaki. "I'm sure he will do great."

* * *

Tsuzuki sneaked inside of the hospital room even though no one could see him. It added to his fun and it didn't hurt to visit his old partner. Careful not to rouse the young woman out of her sleep, he went straight to the crib Masaki laid in. He thought maybe she would wake up from any noise he made or she might not wake up. After such the long hours to give birth to Masaki, she would remain knocked out for a while. There was a possibility that their brief interaction made her able to see him. Her husband couldn't see him at all. He never encountered their kind and had no spiritual ability whatsoever. He was safe.

Looking down at the baby, Tsuzuki immediately noticed the same coloring that Masaki had in his old life. Ayako was similar in appearance. No one would have made the connection to the old Masaki unless it was someone in the Kimura family. Either way, Tsuzuki knew he would grow up as a handsome young man. He was sure this time Masaki would live to a ripe old age. Although, life was unpredictable and he couldn't make such declarations.

Tsuzuki used his fingers to caress Masaki's chubby cheeks. The newborn opened his eyes and stared up at him, his hand immediately went to his mouth as he suckled on it. It seemed Masaki had some remnants of his old life in his new mind.

"It seems it worked huh?" Tsuzuki mused with a smile. "I am so happy for you, Masaki. You deserve to come back to Earth and this time you have your cousin as your new mommy!" The baby scrunched his face and Tsuzuki tried not to laugh. "Just so you know, I checked in on her from time to time. My cases are getting more prominent in this area so I was able to make sure you two were safe. It was the least I could do for my old partner."

A groan came from Ayako as she turned on her hospital bed and Tsuzuki sighed. "I have no idea if she can still see me. I'll try to be stay quiet for you kiddo."

Masaki reached out his hand and yanked on Tsuzuki's hair. Tsuzuki pouted as he pried the baby's hands from his hair. This was a sign. He needed to cut his bangs if children managed to grab onto them. When Masaki tried to reach for him again, Tsuzuki offered his finger instead.

He peeked behind the curtains and saw Ayako's husband brushing his teeth in the bathroom. A simple looking man in Tsuzuki's opinion but from his research, the normal life he acquired made him a safe choice. A normal childhood, went through school, graduated university, and now had a high paying job. After everything Ayako went through in her short life, she needed stability and security.

From what he observed, this man already cared for his child. Although, he saw the hesitation in his eyes when Ayako named their child after Masaki. He commended the man on defending his wife against his family's comments. Tsuzuki only caught on a little bit before he had to leave on his current investigation. Most of the time, Hisoka got aggravated when he took forever on his little breaks. He kind of flaked on his paperwork and might get an earful but at least he stuck to his guns and visited an old friend.

Masaki yawned and let go of his finger as Tsuzuki grinned. "Well, I'll be seeing you again soon. I don't know when but my new partner is a stickler for the rules and won't let me get away with anything. He is younger than you, can you believe that?" Masaki stuck his little tongue at him. "You're only making yourself look cute, kid."

The bathroom light went off as Tsuzuki moved out of the way and watched the man walk into the room. He checked on the baby and Tsuzuki watched him wake up when he noticed Masaki's eyes were open.

"Masaki?" The man went to the newborn picked him up with care. "You shouldn't stay awake, your mother needs all the rest she can get."

Masaki scrunched up his face as his father immediately rocked him thinking he was going to cry. The baby stared at the retreating figure of the guardian of death who left the room.

* * *

Years later, Ayako and her family settled in a nice apartment complex. Provided from her husband's company job with his father. She took on the role of a housewife for the first few years after Masaki's birth. She didn't want someone else raising her son and decided to wait it out until he went to school before going back to a different job. It was a part-time job which helped with some expenses and her husband supported her endeavors. Although, his family insisted she didn't need to work when he provided enough money. First, they complained about their choice of wedding, then the naming of their son, and now her desire to work. They always had something to criticize. Next, they might talk about how she raised her beloved boy. That was something she knew she wouldn't let them get away with.

Her husband kept out of the hostility between her and his family, well the women of his family. He wanted to keep the peace but had no idea how to do this. Ayako couldn't ask of him to cut communication with his family or deny any invitations on the holidays. She went through it because Masaki needed to associate with his cousins. Although, she noticed he never strayed from her side when she remained alone with her husband's family members. He stopped his usual cute antics and clung to her chest. His many attempts at a glare and a cold demeanor directed at them whenever they commented on something. Ayako assumed he was just a mommy's boy, he never held onto his father like he did with her.

In fact, her husband noticed this change in his son. The normal cheerful child turned grim whenever they visited his family. He attempted to convince his son to socialize with his family but he remained stuck to his mother's side. Not that Ayako complained about it. She spent most of her time with him after all.

Ayako smiled as she watched Masaki finish his food. She had finished her own bowl of food and sipped her iced tea while retaining her attention on her son. He had a simple meal of steamed vegetables with rice. Her son never complained about finishing his vegetables. She felt so lucky that her child didn't cause so much mischief. Mommy's little man. Her cousins horror stories of their own rebellious children had her fearing for how Masaki would turn out when he got older. She had a feeling he would gain her late cousin Masaki's cool and caring attitude.

Masaki finished everything on his bowl and the orange juice from his cup. She had transitioned him from sippy cups when she saw his longing look at the regular cups. The shock on his face when she got him a cup with little puppies on the cup made it all worth it. He made sure he didn't drop it when he went to hand her the cup when he finished his juice.

"Thank you mommy!" Masaki smiled.

Ayako chuckled as she collected all their plates. "You are so welcome Masaki-chan. Are you ready for your dessert?" Her child brought her so much joy,

"Yes." Masaki remained at his spot at the table.

Ayako washed the dishes quick. Her child didn't fuss when she took her time but she had a list of things to do after lunch. She even had to go grocery shopping for their dinner for the next few days. Her days filled with mundane activities but she didn't place blame on her son. The love she had for him made everything worth it. She never once thought about children when she was a teenager but this was a nice surprise in her life.

She felt she accomplished some of what her late cousin wanted for her to do with her life. To gain happiness and live her life to the fullest. She hoped he was smiling at her from where ever he ended up at after they said their final goodbyes.

A smooth male voice cut through the silence of the room. "Remember when I helped you out of the lake Ayako?"

Ayako almost dropped her plate in the sink, her head snapped to her son in shock. "What?" Her son had never called her anything but mommy and his voice...it sounded like an older man. Just like...

Masaki patted the table with a grin on his face. "You had a blue shirt and a white sweater on that day! And then I died but I don't regret it because here you are. Now you are my new mommy! I love that you're my mommy! I always knew you would love your child so much!"

Ayako covered her mouth with her hand and tears gathered in her eyes. "M-Masaki?"

She sat back in her seat and tears cascaded down her face. Wiping them away, she tried to compose herself. Maybe she heard wrong. Her five year old was not her late cousin. There was no possible way. She never told her son all the details of that day whenever she told him the story. He couldn't have ever known what she wore that day when she almost drowned.

Then again, she met two guardians of death as a teenager and one of them was Masaki. She didn't know if guardians of death had the option of reincarnation. Masaki didn't stick long to tell her anything and just told her to find her happiness.

When she looked up to stare at her son, he had a worried look on his face.

"Mommy?"

Her son was back. His voice returned back from the soothing voice of her cousin Masaki.

"Why are you crying?"

Ayako wiped the remaining tears from her face as she smiled. "No, no, I'm not sweetheart. I just remembered someone dear to me."

Masaki pouted. "More special than me?"

Ayako reached out her hand and caressed his face. "No one is more special than my little Masaki-chan." She stood back up and asked him. "Do you want to want to go out and buy ice cream instead?"

"Yes!" Masaki got up and went to grab his sweater from his room as Ayako stared at him as he walked away.

Ayako rubbed her shivering arms. "I will make sure that your life has so much love Masaki. My sweet child. I won't let you drown again on my watch."

Masaki returned with his sweater and he grabbed his mother's hand. "C'mon mommy, they might run out of the ones I like."

Ayako smiled as she pressed her lips against his forehead. "I'm sure they will have plenty for you, my dear."

They walked out of the apartment complex as Ayako listened to Masaki telling her about the ice cream he wanted. In her peripheral vision, she thought she saw someone in a familiar black tench coat but there was a blur of blond hair beside the person. Convincing herself it was nothing, she didn't turn to confirmed her suspicions. Her hand tightened around Masaki's tiny hand as they walked through the cross walk.

"See? That's my old partner, Hisoka. I would recognize that guy anywhere."

"Right," Hisoka sighed as he moved away from behind the tree. "You know his mother saw us right?"

"No way! We are not even showing ourselves right now." Tsuzuki said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn..I guess the brief contact I had with her made it so she can see guardians of death until she dies or something."

Hisoka shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue, you are the old one, you tell me."

Tsuzuki huffed. "I am still young, most of my cases end up with their judgment summoning and I never see them again. Even if they regain their will to live they never see me if I go check up on them when they are still alive."

Hisoka arched a brow. "You visit these people?"

"I can't help it! I get to know them and I have to see how they are doing." Tsuzuki explained as he watched Masaki turning to look at them. The little boy waved at him before he turned the corner with his mother.

Tsuzuki smiled as he sighed. "It's worth it though, many of them get to be happy."

Hisoka stared at Tsuzuki for a moment before he grabbed his ear. "We have wasted enough time, we need to get going on the case." Tsuzuki pouted as he let Hisoka drag him away and they disappeared through the crowd.

The end.


End file.
